Claim to Fame

On the Claim to Fame DME podcast, hosts Alex and Wayne interview Richard Mackey, CTO of CCS Medical, a 30+ year company evolving from traditional DME into chronic care management, especially for diabetes. Mackie describes how AI and analytics can digitize patient interactions, connect fragmented systems, and deliver more personalized, multi-channel experiences across portals, texts, emails, and li...

This week Alex and Wayne are joined by Joel Gallion, President and CEO of Bellevue Healthcare, discusses the company’s evolution and the broader DME landscape. Founded in 2000, Bellevue now has 23 locations across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, and Gallion shares how early “wear many hats” bootstrapping (starting with hospice) shaped a people-first culture and long-tenure leadership. He recaps adv...

On this week's episode of the Claim to Fame podcast, Eric Mongeau shares his 16-year sleep industry path from ResMed to scaling Aeroflow and now leading commercial strategy at Daybreak, arguing the industry is entering a major shift with more diagnostic and therapy options. He credits Aeroflow’s growth to reducing “abrasion,” embracing technology and automation, and building a consumer-like pa...

On the Claim to Fame podcast, Alex and Wayne interview Lisa Wells, Senior Vice President at MedSouth Inc., a multi-state home medical equipment provider based in Alabama and licensed in over 40 states, with physical presence in Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina and recent acquisition-driven growth. Wells describes her 24-year path from knowing nothing about DME to leading organization-wide comp...

This week on the Claim to Fame podcast, Alex and Wayne interview ACHC's Kris Rivotti (clinical compliance educator for DMEPOS) and Deborah Panza (associate program director for DMEPOS, and sleep) about ACHC’s education-focused accreditation approach and recent CMS Final Rule changes. They explain that many suppliers will now be surveyed and reaccredited annually (with prior cycles honored if a...

On this episode Alex and Wayne interview Mathew Mammen of Ashwin AI, who shares his background as a software engineer, longtime DME owner, founder of a sleep diagnostics software platform, and leader at Prochant, and explains how DME “decisioning” from referral to cash is broken by portals, paperwork, faxes, conflicting orders, and repeated human adjudication that create rework and slow payment. H...

Alex and Wayne interview Brad Smith of Vertes, a healthcare M&A firm focused on DME/HME, to discuss the grow-vs-sell decision and current market dynamics. Brad shares his background building a Texas DME company, expanding from mobility into oxygen via acquisition, completing a private equity recap in 2004, pursuing a continuum-of-care acquisition strategy, and ultimately selling after Medicare...

In this episode for the Claim to Fame podcast, Alex and Wayne interview Wade West, Vice President of MaskFit AR, about the company’s facial scanning technology designed to help CPAP patients find the right mask and size the first time. West explains MaskFit AR’s origins (about 14 years in development), its mask recommendations based on facial anatomy plus clinical questions (pressure, sleep positi...

Alex and Wayne interview Wes Hopper of Why Success Happens about helping DME providers grow without adding costs. Hopper shares his 30-year background across distribution, manufacturing, and consulting and says leaders are overwhelmed by fires, regulatory change, and profitability pressures while trying to put patients first. He argues providers should focus on lowering cost—not just price—by mana...

On the Claim to Fame podcast, Dewey Roof of Valere Health shares his 30-year DME/HME background, including selling an HME to Adapt Health in 2021, and explains how Valer Health emerged from internal software built around 2016–2017. After shifting strategy with CTO Doug Thornton, Valere adopted a data event streaming architecture to act as an underlying “utility” or “central nervous system” that co...

Alex and Wayne interview Liz Beaulieu, editor of HME News, about her background in trade publishing and how HME News covers the home medical equipment industry through print, a daily-updated website, and newsletters produced largely by a two-person editorial team. Liz discusses what has and hasn’t changed in DME, citing technology as the biggest shift while issues like competitive bidding persist....

In this episode of Claim to Fame, Alex and Wayne interview Casey Toomajian from Hometown Healthcare. Casey shares the compelling origin story of his family-owned, respiratory-focused DME company in upstate New York, which has grown to serve 14 counties with a core product line including CPAP, oxygen, ventilators, and sleep supplies. The conversation covers the challenges of transitioning from a sm...

Ben Nadeau joins Claim to Fame to talk about what it really takes to bring AI into pharmacy and DME operations. As the owner of Bedard Pharmacy, a family-run business dating back to the 1960s, and the co-founder of Celeritas, Ben shares how he’s balancing legacy workflows with modern AI innovation. We dig into Elsa, an AI advisor built to reduce errors and improve efficiency in DME insurance and b...

In this episode of the Claim to Fame podcast, Alex and Wayne host Yelena Brusilovsky, National Vice President of Commercial Sales for Edgepark and Advanced Diabetes Supply Group at Cardinal Health. Yelena shares her expansive journey in the healthcare industry, including insights into the evolution of payer relationships, the critical role of digital transformation, and opportunities for growth in...

In this episode of the Claim to Fame Podcast, Alex and Wayne engage in a detailed conversation with JJ Pistoor, Vice President of Revenue at Geriatric Medical and DDP Medical Supply. JJ shares his professional journey from the rental car business to spearheading revenue operations at two prominent companies in the medical supply and distribution industry. He delves into the core values and agile s...

In this episode of Claim to Fame, Alex and Wayne interview Sarah Staley from Synergy Orthopedics to discuss her journey from DME coordinator to leading smart care and AI digital solutions. Sarah shares insights into the operations of Synergy Orthopedics, including their focus on orthotics, prosthetics, and bracing, serving regions across the eastern U.S. She emphasizes the importance of innovation...

In this episode of the Claim to Fame, Alex and Wayne welcome Keith Steichen, founder of Royal Apex Solutions, a DME consulting firm. Keith talks about his 25 years of experience in the DME industry, focusing on revenue cycle management (RCM), compliance, and payer relationships. He highlights the importance of adaptability in the ever-evolving DME landscape and the need for companies to improve bi...

In this episode of the Claim to Fame Podcast, Alex and Wayne interview Joe Megibow, CEO of cpap.com. Joe shares his journey from being a technologist in the automotive sector to leading consumer-centric retail and travel companies. He speaks about his deep-rooted passion for sleep health, his transition to running cpap.com, and how the company is addressing the challenges and opportunities in the...

David Siegel, CEO of Nationwide Medical, joins Claim to Fame to reflect on more than 23 years of building one of the most recognizable names in sleep and respiratory care. He shares the customer follow-up strategies that helped Nationwide stand out early, how lessons from the life insurance industry shaped their approach, and what it takes to stay resilient through constant change in DME. We also...

Heather Davis, Founder of Visionera, joins Claim to Fame to break down how DME providers should really be thinking about payer strategy. We talk through common misconceptions about payers, the KPIs that actually matter, and the mindset shifts required for providers entering a more value-based world. Heather also shares her perspective on upcoming regulatory and policy changes and what they mean fo...

In this episode of the Claim to Fame podcast, Ben Nadeau, from Bedard Pharmacy and Celeritas AI, discusses his journey in revolutionizing the pharmacy and DME industry using AI technology. Ben details the history and evolution of Bedard, a family-owned business since the 1960s, and introduces Elsa, an AI advisor designed to enhance efficiency and minimize errors in DME insurance and billing proces...

  In this special edition of Claim to Fame, Taylor Williams from Emerald joins us to share what providers should actually focus on this year. We cover the most important sessions, trending categories on the expo floor, and the topics shaping conversations, from policy updates and competitive bidding to AI automation and workflow solutions. We also break down practical strategies for getting more o...

Former CMS insider Wayne Van Halem joins Claim to Fame to talk audits from the inside out. We cover what auditors are really looking for, common mistakes that lead to denials, and how DME providers can prepare before an audit ever lands. Wayne also shares his take on AI, evolving audit strategies, and how providers can protect revenue without overcomplicating compliance.

In this episode of the Claim to Fame podcast, Alex and Wayne welcome Vijay Kedar, co-founder and CEO of Tomorrow Health, who delves into his journey from investing in healthcare to founding a company that aims to revolutionize home-based care. Vijay shares personal experiences that inspired the creation of Tomorrow Health and discusses the challenges patients face in receiving home-based care. He...

In this episode of the Claim to Fame podcast, Chris Hoffman from PPM Fulfillment shares insights on the journey of building a fulfillment company from 2009 to now. Chris discusses his experience in supply chain distribution, the evolution of the CPAP supplies market, and the importance of being nimble and customer-centric in the fulfillment industry. He touches on the impact of COVID-19, the signi...